From Mutiny to Revolt

'A refreshing retelling of the 1857 revolt that puts the micro-optic on the cantonment town of Meerut to call out hitherto unheard tales of women, prostitutes, Sepoys and ordinary people. A brilliant narrative that both thrills and informs.' Seema Alavi, Ashoka University 'This gripping revisionist narrative of 1857 proves that behind every mutinous sepoy there was a world of women doing the unsung work of anti-colonialism. Drawing on facts and fictions, Pinch brings them out of the shadows of the sadr bazaar and into imperial history for good.' Antoinette Burton, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 'The bazaar at Meerut, a liminal space wherein mingled British and Indian bodies and practices, is deftly explored by William Pinch in this richly textured microhistory that provides insights into what transformed mutinying sepoys into rebels in 1857 and illuminates the critical role played by the women of the cantonment.' Douglas M. Peers, University of Waterloo 'This brilliant microhistory of why soldiers in Meerut revolted in 1857 offers a riveting narrative that is centered atypically on marginalized women. It is an innovative take on the cataclysmic revolt of 1857 and a perspicacious meditation on the writing of history itself. An absolute must read!' Mrinalini Sinha, University of Michigan 'Pinch's book is a tour de force, a brilliant reframing of the story of the Revolt of 1857. In this microhistorical tome, Pinch draws out the social and emotional world of the pre-mutiny Meerut cantonment and the heretofore ignored incendiary role that women – female relatives, wives, concubines, mistresses and prostitutes (tawaifs) - played in the mutiny. The book's engaging narrative interweaves military history with histories of emotions, gender, fictive histories and literary fiction to advance a novel way of thinking about history as ontology.' Aparna Vaidik, Ashoka University